Life is messy… and wonderful.
Some days I don’t like living on an island.
But then… I sit on the ferry for 20 minutes and read, or talk to another islander or I just talk to Otto or… I stare off into space.
Then when I get off the boat and look back at Portland twinkling away on the other side of the bay… I don’t mind living on an island quite as much.
We recently had a friend from NYC come visit us in our new island home. I can’t think of more polar opposites than New York City and Peaks Island, Maine. I love both places so much. Adam and I both love the City but obviously, we have chosen Maine as our home. NYC will always be there to visit!
One evening as we walked back to the house after dinner and a few drinks, our house-guest was walking with his eyes straight up to the sky. Stars. Millions of them covered the night sky. They don’t have stars like THAT in NYC. No tall buildings obstructing your view, no light masking the brilliance of those luminous plasma clumps.
Then there were those great philosophers Calvin and Hobbes… When do we stop to really look at stars? I can’t think of many times that Facebook, television or my iPhone have filled my head and heart with wonder as a few minutes staring into a twinkling night sky. A little star gazing can do wonders for your woes. Your problems and drama somehow seem a whole lot smaller.
Man, that kid and stuffed tiger were smart.
My wonderful friend, Rob Gould, is doing a really nice blog for the Portland Press Herald called Social Social. In it he is talking about social media and interviewing a few characters on their experiences with it.
I was his most recent victim: Social Social – Sketchy chat rooms, pregnancy privacy and Sesame Street.
Articles about yourself are funny. Receiving any type of attention for being yourself is funny.
I can’t believe I said half the things I did but talking to Rob was easy. I was comfortable and very honest.
The last few years have been crazy with losing Brody, having a baby, getting Otto and keeping up with work, Social Media Breakfasts and SARSSM. All I am doing is the best I can do.
I thought since I mentioned my crush on Sesame Street in Rob’s article, I would share this fun video with Will.i.am. It seems fitting for a day like today.
Lyrics:
If what I am is what’s in me
Then I’ll stay strong – that’s who I’ll be
and I will always be the best
“me” that I can be.
There’s only one me, I admit have a dream I’ll follow it
It’s up to me to try.
Oh! I’m a keep my head up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna quit
I’ll be getting stronger.
And nothing’s gonna bring me down (no!)
Never gonna stop, gotta go.
Because I know
I’ll keep getting stronger.
And what I am is thoughtful
what I am is musical
what I am is smart
and what I am is brave
what I am is helpful
what I am is special
There’s nothing I can’t achieve.
Because in myself I believe in oh…
Gonna keep our heads up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna quit
Just keep getting stronger.
And nothing’s gonna bring us down (no!)
Never give it up, gotta go.
Because I know
I’ll keep getting stronger.
What I am is super
what I am is proud
what I am is friendly
what I am is grouchy
what you are is magical
what you are is special
There’s nothing I can’t achieve.
Because in myself I believe in oh…
Gonna hold my head up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna stop
I’ll be getting stronger.
Nothing’s gonna bring me down (no!)
Never give it up gotta go, oh… yeah…
I’ll keep getting strong–er.
Oooh I hate attention and interviews and deep thought provoking questions… so when the lovely LannaLee asked to interview me for her weekly podcast, Lounging with Lannalee, I panicked.
I listened to some other people’s interviews with her and they were real, live, interesting people. I am just me. Rob Gould has his colorful past and many adventures in the PR world, Rich Brooks has his cool confidence and a big upcoming event. What the heck would I talk about? I just have my dogs, my job, my med school husband, a human growing inside me and a love for living in Maine… So that is what we talked about – work-life, dogs, Maine etc.
You may have a listen, if you have nothing better to do. If you want to hear from people more interesting than me, you can find more Lounging with LannaLee podcasts on her website.
Some things I stink at:
There are obviously a few more I could add (I’m sure my husband could lend a few ideas too) but you get the point. So with this list of unskills, I may have failed to mention that I have been working with WMTW 8 (local ABC channel) on a weekly Tech Trends report with Erin Ovalle. They air at about 7:15am on Saturday mornings.
If you miss them on-air, some of them are also online for your viewing and snickering pleasure.
Here are the ones that I can currently find online:
Working with Erin has been great. I look forward to getting better at these (I hate not being good at things) and I am really excited to share with people some of the cool things local businesses are doing with technology. I am a lucky girl and like with running or overcoming obstacles, I know that trying something new and uncomfortable will only make me stronger.
If you have ideas for topics Erin and I should cover or a local business using technology in a neat way that we should feature, please let me know!
Baby, it’s cold outside!
Many people hang up their running shoes for the winter but some of us trudge on. It isn’t very fun (I still don’t think running is actually very fun) but it is very do-able. Of course a nice run on a 60 degree evening is more ideal but I live in Maine and I love it here. Maine isn’t going to change so I have to.
You are going to need the right attitude, a little drive and it is probably a good idea to look into some good cold weather running gear but you CAN run in the winter.
It is going to be up to you to get out there and run. Not many friends will be dragging you out and a Sunday brunch is going to sound a lot more appealing than a cold run. You need to have the motivation to drag yourself out there.
Think about how much farther ahead in the game you will be when the warmer months roll around. Think about not gaining that 3, 5, 7, 20 pounds you seem to pick up every winter. Take note of your energy levels. I ,for one, always feel tired and more into hibernating than socializing in the winter. When I run, I have a lot more energy and I feel much better.
One of the reasons I took up running was that, other than shoes, you didn’t need to invest a lot in clothing or club memberships. My first winter running, I used the clothing I had. Over the last few years I have slowly been adding and acquiring better running clothes and it has made a big difference.
Some of the key pieces I would recommend for making winter runs more bearable would be:
I was supposed to run tonight but it is currently 25 degrees, 20 mile an hour winds and it feels like it is 13 degrees out. Tomorrow though it is supposed to be about 30 degrees and the wind is supposed to die down. I am going to run tomorrow afternoon instead of tonight. Also, the sun will be out so it will be more pleasant. This means I will have to go into work early so I can sneak out for an hour or so but it will be worth it.
For me to run, I need to schedule it. I am not able to run ‘when I have time’ because time will never just present itself. I am too busy. I have to put it in my calendar but when dealing with the weather, you have to be willing to wiggle some things around. I try to run every Wednesday night and I swear Wednesdays are almost guaranteed to be rainy or snowy. Just because the weather doesn’t cooperate doesn’t mean you are off the hook.
I hate the treadmill. It is torture. Sometimes though you just have to admit it is too cold or that you aren’t going to catch a break with Mother Nature. Treadmills are better than curling up on the couch with a pint of ice cream. I cancelled my gym membership but I am lucky enough to have a treadmill in my office building. I also know the day drop in rate for two local gyms between my office and my house. For me, a drop in of $8 here and there is cheaper than a full membership to a gym.
That is some of the ways I can manage to run outside and I hope that helps. How about any of you? Do any of you have any advice on keeping with running during the colder and darker months?
I also just found this neat page on the Runner’s World site where you put in the weather conditions and they recommend what you wear.
Photo credit: pixdaus
Stay warm and happy running!
Oh 2011, you scoundrel. You sure know how to keep an emotional roller coaster going. This has already been a year of some mighty lows and profound highs. When one things goes down, another goes up.
I am now proud to tell you that I have been named one of Maine’s Top 40 Under Forty (you can read all about the announcement and event here). I will admit, I wish it was Top 33 Under Thirty-three, since there is no way I am approaching 40, but I will take it.
I do work very hard and it is really nice to have it be recognized. So thank you! Thanks for the support and thanks to the amazing people who recommended me.
I already had my really hard interview. The questions were tough! Really deep and reflective questions about where you want to be in 10 years and things like that. My brain hurt after. I have to go get my picture taken tomorrow. That will be exciting since I LOVE pictures.
One person will be featured each day. I don’t have any idea when my profile will run but I am pretty sure my mother and mother-in-law will let me know as soon as it hits the doorstep! When that happens, I will post it on Facebook and probably update this post so you can point and laugh at me.
Thanks again everyone for your support!
Photo credit: vistavision
I love living in Portland, Maine. I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I love it all year round. I think this area has everything I need – things to do, ocean, mountains nearby, lots of opportunity, history, natural beauty and culture.
I am excited to have a friend coming to visit me in a few weeks. She is coming for an event I am hosting and this will be her first time in Maine!
Which got me to thinking… how long does it take to fall in love with Portland, Maine?
My friend is here for a little over two days, can she be fully courted by our little city in such a short amount of time?
A rainy long weekend could throw a wrench in the gears. I of course have a few tricks up my sleeve in case it does rain – like:
I would much rather prefer a good weather weekend for her trip – to really show Maine off in all of her glory.
If we had a warm weather weekend, the hardest decision would be where to get ice cream – Reds, Willard Scoops, Beals or Mount Desert?
No matter the weather, there is always shopping in Freeport and I almost guarantee a lobster bake at some point.
I travel pretty often and I talk some big game about what an awesome area I am from. I just hope I can deliver the weekend my friend is here!
In other Maine news
I was so happy to hear Bar Harbor got some serious love from Trip Advisor this week as one of the top 25 destinations in the country. Not too shabby!
Lastly, if you are upset that this post is not about Brody – here is a picture of him from today on the back porch, eating a bone.
